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Springfield Mulls Comcast Contract Extension

Comcast is talking with the city of Springfield to extend its franchise agreement, but some aldermen worry about Comcast’s customer service.

“It’s a lease agreement that allows the company to use the city’s rights-of-way,” said Springfield Corporation Counsel Todd Greenburg. “The agreement is how much they have to pay the city as compensation for using our right of way.”

The most the city can ask for, Greenburg said, is five percent of Comcast’s gross receipts.

Comcast must have a contract in place in order to use city infrastructure. It doesn’t, however, mean Comcast is the only company that can provide cable services. Some aldermen think Comcast should appear before them to answer concerns about slow or non-existent service before a new deal is negotiated.

Comcast is looking to extend its current agreement to the end of the calendar year.